Knowing this information ahead of time allows for infection prevention measures to be put in place by the receiving hospital, which can help prevent further spread and provide an environment for optimal treatment and safety of the incoming patient.
The Kansas-based health system is reportedly the first in the nation to launch a pilot program of this kind, according to the outlet. It also partnered with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and data management company Konza National Network on the RapidAlert system.
Pilot testing so far has allowed the system to begin “immediate implementation of isolation and transmission-based protocols,” which Patricia Parks, MSN, RN, an infection prevention health nurse at Newman Regional Health, stated in a Nov. 2023 release on early details of the project.
She added that it “has significantly improved our ability to contain infections in a critical time frame and thus prevent MDRO disease spread to other patients and staff in our facilities.”
